OGDEN, Utah - Forty-four University of North Dakota student-athletes representing five sports were named to the 2012 Big Sky Fall All-Academic team released by league officials on Wednesday. In all, 460 student-athletes from the Big Sky's 11 full members and two football playing institutions were represented on the team.

The football team had 14 players selected to the team, women's soccer had 12, volleyball had seven, while the men's and women's cross country teams had three and eight runners selected, respectively. The eight women's cross country representatives tied for the most by a Big Sky team along with Idaho State, Southern Utah and Weber State.

"Our student-athletes put together another exceptional semester in the classroom this past fall," said UND's Assistant A.D. for Academic Services Amanda Hajdu. "We have a strong representation on our first Big Sky All-Academic team and that is a testament to the hard work these athletes put into the classroom."

To be eligible for the all-academic team, a student-athlete must have met and/or exceeded the following minimum requirements: 1) Participated in at least half of the team's competitions2) Achieved a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at the conclusion of the most recently completed term3) Completed at least one academic term at his/her current Big Sky institution